Wheel for vehicles.



110.848,?47 PATENTED APB. 2,1901 T.JONES. WHEEL P011 VEHICLES. APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 81, 1905.

j u mum THOMAS JONES, OF HAMPTON-IN-ARDEN, ENGLAND.

WHEEl. FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed August 31,1905. Serial No. 276,570.

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J ONES, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of I-Iampton-in-Arden, in the county of WVarwick, England, have invented certain Improvements in Wheels for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wheels for vehicles, and has for its object to provide means whereby a vehicle can be directly used either on road, tramway, or railway without changing the wheels. This is particularly advantageous in the case of motor-vehicles used for the transport of goods, as the goods do not have to be unloaded from the motor vehicle when transport by railway is necessary, and the vehicle can run on rails as an ordinary railwaytruck, yet be ready for use at the end of its rail journey.

According to this invention as applied to a vehicle for use on either road or rail the roadwheels, which may be of any convenient construction, have attached to them concentrically-flanged wheels or the like suitable for use upon the railway. It is obviously necessary that the relative sizes of the road and railway wheels be proportioned according to the circumstances under which they are to be used. Further, the gage of the flanged rail-.

way-wheels must conform to the gage of the railway upon which the vehicle is to be used, while the gage of the road-wheels is not restricted.

In one construction where the road-wheels are of metal the railway-wheels may be cast integral with them. In another construction the railway-wheels, which are of necessity flanged, may be bolted or otherwise attached to the road-wheels by bolts passing through the above mentioned or other flanges, as desired.

Where it is necessary for the vehicle to run upon a tramway as well as, or instead of, a railway, the road-wheels may have their peripheries suitably grooved. The distance between the groove in one wheel and that in the adjacent wheel is proportioned to the gage of the tramway. In each groove lies a suitable spring-ring, the ends of which may abut or overlap. The tendency of this spring-ring is to contract into the groove and lie flush with the periphery of the ro ad-wheel. It will be obvious that by the operation of some suitable expanding device the rings may be caused to project from the grooves in the manner of flanges and will engage the tramway-rails in the ordinary manner. The expanding device must be of such a strength as to hold the ring expanded against the pressure to which it is subjected; otherwise its construction is not restricted and may be of any continuous type, employing, say, toggllgs, eccentric, cams, wedge-pieces, or t e li e.

It will be obvious that by combining the above constructions each wheel may be prepared for use upon road, railway, or tramway, or for any two of the above.

The accompanying drawing shows one method of carrying out this invention.

In the drawing I have shown my improved wheel, the upper portion being in vertical section and the lower portion being in elevation.

The wheel is provided with a tread portion A for road use, and formed integral with it is a tread portion B for railway use, these two tread portions being of the ordinary type adapted for their respective purposes. In the portion A is agroove C, in which lies a spring-ring D. Normally this is adapted to lie flush with the tread portion A when the vehicle is being used upon road or railway. IVhen it is desired to run the vehicle on a tramway, the spring-ring D is expanded, as by operating the screwed spindles D, a number of which are arranged around the wheel.

It will be seen that by this invention the wheel is adapted for use upon the road, railway, or tramway with practically no alteration. It will be clear that by this invention much trouble and expense is saved in the transport of goods on combined road, rail, and tram journeys.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a roador similar wheel, of a spring-ring adapted to be expanded to engage a tramway or similar rail, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a road or similar In testimony whereof I have signed my Wheel having a tread portion adapted to enname to this specification in the presence of IO gage a goid-surfiace, of a second tfiead1 portion two subscribing Witnesses. adapte or rai Way use a perip era roove in the road-tread surface, and a sprin g-ring THOMAS JONES normally lying Within said groove, adapted WVitnesses: to be expanded to engage a tramway or simi- ERNEST HARKER, lar rail substantially as described. JOHN T. FAZAKARLEY. 

